Udo's Techblog

Problems of Static Worlds



Don't get me wrong, community spirit and group dynamics are a central fun factor in online MMORPGs. But I want more from a game, if I want pure online player interaction, I'll logon to IRC or telnet to a text-only MUD. No, from an MMORPG I expect

• ...adventure and realistic settings




• ...a believable world that reacts to changes




• ...to be able to change the world




• ...my experience to be unique.

For example, when you take on a mission in Everquest, the goal is basically to have your character complete a skripted event path through the world until the final event gets triggered that rewards you. If you ask any other players about your mission, chances are they will say something like "yeah, been there, done that, good loot".





What's the point in slaying the Ithiosar the Fallen if he gets respawned automatically at the end of the day? Worse still, what's the point if he gets slain by other people all the time? There is no logic or consistency in a game world like that, there can be no real suspension of disbelief. Granted, it's still kind of sporty to guide your character through the well-known sightseeing tours and get the maximum loot - but how about a little more uniqueness?





One solution is to have an army of content designers who continouusly spew out new stuff for the players to discover. That's fun, too, I just don't think that is the way the whole game should be run. So what can we do about that (besides ranting)?